Gutter Rainbows is heavyweight stuff from a superlative wordsmith

Brooklyn’s Talib Kweli is most famous for his pair-ups: with Mos Def for Blackstar and with Hi-Tek for Reflection Eternal, both projects that spawned classics the artists have since struggled to match.

But there are also examples of Kweli straying from the script: Tater Tot is a gangster fable that could have been dreamed up by Ghostface Killah; the blaxploitation-stained hook-up with Sean Price (!) on Palookas boasts a swagger-filled frisson; How You Love Me is an unsettling dissection of a relationship.

All signs that this superlative wordsmith intends to remain in the heavyweight category.